Sheriff’s appearance in uniform broke county ethics code

It was a “minor” violation, but King County Sheriff Steve Strachan still ran afoul of the county’s ethics code by appearing in uniform at a GOP picnic, the county Ombudsman’s Office has ruled.

Strachan’s appearance in uniform at the King County Republican Party picnic where his campaign also had a booth, “lent the prestige and authority of the Sheriff’s Office to his campaign in violation of the Ethics Code,” the investigation found.

Strachan also was accused in a written complaint of breaking ethics rules by displaying a photo of the sheriff in uniform on his campaign website and Facebook page. The photo was taken at his campaign headquarters. Under ethics rules, the campaign may only use photos of the sheriff in uniform that are already in the public domain, or that were taken while the sheriff engaged in official business. Strachan’s campaign said it was due to a misunderstanding of the rules and has since replaced the photo.

Both violations “were minor and of minimal or no cost to the County,” but the Ethics Code has a “strict prohibition on the use of County resources in election campaigns,” Ombudsman Amy Calderwood’s office said in a news release.

Strachan is running to serve the remaining year of former Sheriff Sue Rahr’s term. He was Rahr’s chief deputy before being appointed interim sheriff. He’s also the former Kent police chief and served as city councilman and state legislator in Minnesota.

In a written response to the Ombudsman, the sheriff’s legal adviser, Patty Shelledy, said Strachan was at the picnic to speak as a part of his official duties, as he does with many community groups. On the issue of the campaign booth: “He did not approach the table or use the forum to address campaign issues or questions or seek endorsements for himself as a candidate,” she wrote.

The Ombudsman, however, ruled the GOP event was problematic because it is a “group whose mission includes assisting campaigns for the election of candidates to public office.” The King County Republican Party has since endorsed Strachan.

Strachan told seattlepi.com in a Sept. 24 interview that he was running between three community events that day, all to which he was invited as sheriff. The first was the Renton River Days parade; the second was the picnic at Marymoor Park; and then the Torchlight Parade.

“If this had been an event on its own, then potentially it would have been different,” Strachan said. “It’s part of the balance of being the sheriff, doing the job, and if there is a campaign event, doing it the right way.”

State law and county ethics rules bar officials from using public resources for campaign purposes, which includes uniforms purchased on the public dime. Alex Wilford, the lawyer who filed a complaint with the Ombudsman, also submitted a complaint with the state Public Disclosure Commission, which is reviewing it.

Here is a link to the Ombudsman’s full report, under complaint no. 2012-01170. Strachan has 20 days to appeal.